Marvin Gets It

Bremerton’s Marvin Williams, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2005
NBA draft, will be a restricted free agent at the end of the summer
and some think the NBA’s salary cap will be reduced because of
downturn in our economy. Regardless, Marvin’s probably in a pretty
good situation. The Atlanta Hawks appreciate his all-around,
selfless game and it’s hard to imagine that this young rising team
won’t offer this young rising star a lucrative contract next
summer.

A lot of people forget that the Marvin and the young Hawks took
the champion Celtics to seven games last year before losing in the
first round of the playoffs. Williams missed the first game of the
season, serving a one-game suspension for a hard foul he committed
in that Boston series.

In his first game back this year, he struggled: two points, five
rebounds and two blocks in a win over Orlando.

“My timing was all messed up,” Williams told the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution. “It was my first game back, and I was just
off. But it’s not anything I’m worried about. I’ll be fine.”

And he has been.

He hit all three of his 3-point attempts in a win over New
Orleans last week, including a big one inside the final three
minutes to give Atlanta an 83-74 lead.

Marvin scored 16 points Sunday night in a win over Oklahoma
City, hitting another big 3-pointer — this one giving the Hawks an
80-77 lead in a game they won. Atlanta’s off to a 5-0 start and
Williams is a big part of it.